H. Monroe Browne

H. Monroe Browne 1917 - 2006 H. Monroe Browne died quietly at his home in Wheatland, CA, on June 13, 2006, after a long illness. He was born May 9, 1917 in Long Beach, CA. He graduated in 1939 from UCLA with a degree in business administration, and did post graduate work at UC Berkeley in business. He met and married Mary Frances Ashby in Bakersfield, CA, that same year. When World War II broke out, he served his country as a Lieutenant JG in the Navy, in the Pacific Theater. Monroe and Mary Frances maintained their home in Bakersfield for many years, where they raised three children, Elizabeth Ann Denny, Richard Allen Browne, and David Ashby Browne. Monroe is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 66 years, Mary Frances, and his daughter, Liz Ann. Monroe founded McCoy Tire and Recap Company and Hartman Concrete Materials Company in Bakersfield, CA, and owned cattle ranches in Bakersfield, Placer County, and Wheatland, CA, and Nevada and Texas. He operated Wheatland Land and Cattle Co. from 1975 to approximately 1985. Monroe and Mary Frances resided in San Francisco from 1975 to 2002, then retired to their cattle ranch in Wheatland. At the time of his death he owned Browne Cattle Co. based in Wheatland, CA, where he bred thoroughbred horses for racing; was a managing member of Browne Cattle Company, LLC, a Wheatland development entity; and until recently retained an interest in a thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Waikanae, New Zealand. He served on the Cal OSHA Appeals Board from 1970-1974 as an appointee under Governor Reagan, and chaired President Reagan's Small Business Task Force in 1980 and 1981. From 1981 until 1985 he served as United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Western Samoa. In the mid-1970s he founded the Institute for Contemporary Studies in SF. Ambassador Browne had been a member of San Francisco's Bohemia Club since 1988, held memberships in the Pacific Union Club, and in Sacramento's Sutter Club, and was a former president of the Bakersfield Rotary. He was also a founding member of The Heritage Foundation. Ambassador Browne is survived by his son David and daughter-in-law Rhonda, formerly of Stratford, TX, and granddaughters Terri Ann Browne, Lesley Wright Browne, and Cindi Ashby Browne; and by his son Richard and daughter-in-law Margaret, of Denver, CO, and granddaughter Andrea. Funeral Services are scheduled for Monday, June 19, 2006, at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 610 Third Street, Wheatland, and interment will follow at Wheatland Cemetery. A viewing has been scheduled for 4-8 p.m. at Sierra View Mortuary, 4900 Olive Ave., Marysville, CA (530)742-6957 on Sunday, June 18, 2006. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to the American Red Cross, 2025 E Street NW, Washington DC 20006.